Not applicable.
Not applicable.
The present invention relates to support padding. More particularly, the present invention relates to support padding for use on human joints. Additionally, the present invention relates to support padding which will absorb shock and pressure applied thereto during human activity. Additionally, the present invention relates to support padding for human joint which will provide a suitable jog of movement upon application of pressures thereto.
As is well known, the joints of the human body help to facilitate the movement of the entire body. The joints of the human body can include elbows, shoulders, ankles, knees, the neck and the spine. There are many support pads presently on the market which absorb a portion of the shock imparted to such joints during normal human activity. Any shocks that are not properly absorbed can cause damage to the joints, and the associated human body structure. This is particularly true of the feet, which have many bones and many jointed surfaces, and the knees which have fine meniscus stabilizing the joint and permitting smooth movement. The spinal cord is built for many vertebrae which disks between them are very sensitive to changes, and which permit bending and straightening of the body.
Over a long period of athletic activity, the beating and shocks imparted to the joints of the human body can often cause stress fractures in the bone structure adjacent to such joints. Also, these shocks can often cause changes in the structure of the vertebrae, affecting the disks between them, by making them thin and irregular due to friction, so that they lose their flexibility. The damage caused to the skeletal structure of the human body by impact to the various joints can lead to neck and shoulder pain, poor blood circulation and stability problems.
During athletic activity, such as during the play of football, great pressures and stresses are applied to the various human joints. When the structures associated with the clothing and padding at such joints do not overcome the pressures applied thereto, damage can occur. Often, the strong torques applied by the joints during such activity can cause inherent and long term damage to such joints. As such, there is a need to provide an improved system of shock absorption which is user specific and preserves the maximum amount of energy accumulation during suppression of material from which the support pad is constructed.
In the past, various U.S. patents have issued in the past relating to such support padding. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,760,056, issued on Dec. 18, 1973 to M. F. Rudy, describes a method of custom fitting an inflatable bladder to a wearer""s foot. The inflatable bladder is made of a suitable elastomer which may be heated, distended and then cooled at room temperature to set the bladder in the distended shape. The bladder will custom fit to the wearer""s foot.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,765,422, issued on Oct. 16, 1973 to H. M. Smith, describes a fluid cushioned podiatrac insole. This insole is in the form of a flat flexible envelope in the outline of a wearer""s foot. The envelope contains a liquid or semi-liquid flowable cushioning medium. A transverse wall divides the interior of the insole into front and rear chambers. The transverse wall extends along the forward edge of the metatarsal pressure points of the foot of the wearer. The rear chamber has longitudinal walls directing the flowable medium forwardly and rearwardly in such chamber.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,257, issued on Nov. 26, 1991 to S. Coomer, describes an injection fitted boot liner which is fitted by low pressure fluid injection over the wearer""s anatomy. This liner is formed by permeation of select areas of porous padding, surrounding areas of non-porous padding and with scarfed abutment of padding for gradual softness variation. An impervious membrane occluding portions of the porous padding is used to control fluid resin penetration.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,392,534, issued on Feb. 28, 1995 to T. E. Grim, teaches a vacuum formed comfortable sole which uses vacuum formable bladders in the sole of the shoes or in the sides of the upper portions of the shoes. The bladders are filled with material, such as small spherical particles, which retain a configuration conforming to the shape of the feet under reduced pressure conditions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,175, issued on Aug. 27, 1991 to Rowen et al., teaches a user-specific shoe sole coil spring system having a layout of individual coil springs which are seated in a shoe sole having prefabricated circular depressions. The coil spring system has stiffness characteristics which are customized to serve the needs of different users and different applications. The system provides shock absorption distribution patterns and energy return patterns for the shoe sole to fit the requirements of the particular application. The sole has a cover strip overlaying the coil spring system which is openable and reclosable for allowing changes in the layout, as required.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,090, issued on Nov. 19, 1996 to A. Condini, teaches an inner boot tongue of a ski boot which has an outer part formed of an impermeable semi-rigid plastic having an alveolate structure and which is covered directly by a foam-type padding and by a woven or knitted liner. The air contained in the alveoles of the alveolate structure forms a particularly effective damper cushion in dynamic compression.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,149, issued on Jul. 15, 1997 to M. W. Dalebout, describes a sport boot system incorporating a pliable inner liner within a rigid outer shell. The inner liner is of a foam material and is provided with a single bifurcation at its outer side to provide a tongueless entry access opening. Relief structures are positioned at the front of the liner to provide enhanced forward flexibility and to increase comfort.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a support padding which has maximum shock-absorption characteristics.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a support padding which provides suitable xe2x80x9cgivexe2x80x9d so as to prevent damaging torques from adversely affecting the skeletal structure of the human body.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a support padding for human joint which cushions against shocks and impacts occurring during normal human activity.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a support padding which is comfortable and easy to use.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims.
The present invention is a support padding for use on a human joint comprising an outer layer having a shape generally conforming to the shape of the human joint, a resilient member layer positioned adjacent to the outer layer and extending around the interior of the outer layer, a packing layer positioned adjacent to the resilient member layer and extending around an interior of the resilient member layer, and an inner layer affixed to the packing layer and having a cavity for receiving a human joint therein. The resilient member comprises a plurality of springs each having one end secured to the outer layer.
In the present invention, the outer layer is of a fibrous material. A deformable member is in affixed to the packing layer opposite to the resilient member layer. This deformable member conforms to a contour of the human joint upon pressure applied by a surface of the human joint thereto. A flexible structure is interposed between the packing layer and the resilient member layer. The plurality of springs each have an opposite end secured to this flexible structure.
In the present invention, the human joint can be an elbow, a shoulder, a knee, an ankle, a neck or a spine. The outer layer will have a shape conforming to the exterior surface of the respective human joint. When the human joint is a shoulder, a strap extends in a loop outwardly of the outer layer so as-to have a size suitable for extending around a human torso. When the human joint is a knee, the various layers will be generally elastic so as to extend around the knee in compressive relationship therewith. When the human joint is a spine, a closure means is affixed to the layer for releasably securing the layers around the human body adjacent to the spine.
In the present invention, the packing layer can be a material selected from the group consisting of bubble wrap material and foam material. The foam material will be a plurality of foam elements arranged in a random pattern around the interior of resilient member layer. The deformable member can include a plurality of silicone pads affixed to an interior surface of the packing layer. The inner layer is formed of a fibrous material.